On the first day that the Chinese calendar celebrated the year of the goat, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard finally didn’t wear the horns in the shootout.
Ending a personal 0-7 skid in shootouts this season, Howard blocked two of three shots he faced as the Detroit Red Wings recorded a 3-2 shootout triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday at the United Center to open a six-game road trip.
“It feels good,… Howard said. “It was a long time coming and it feels extra special against a group that’s so good and talented out there.…
In reality, Howard felt that is was Chicago might have proven to be to his advantage because of his familiarity with the Blackhawks shooters.
“To be honest with you, facing Chicago in shootouts, I hate to say it, it’s not easy, but it’s easier because I’ve seen them so much playing in the West for so many years,… Howard explained. “Knowing the majority of their moves helped me out.
“I’m still learning a lot of guys in the East.…
Howard was especially sharp for the Wings in the opening period, when he made 17 saves, allowing Detroit to stay in the game.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock wasn’t pleased at all with the way his team began the game.
“I thought the goalie was good,… Babcock said of Howard. “I thought Pav (Datsyuk), Z (Henrik Zetterberg) and not many others were good early and then I thought once we started getting competitive and heavy on our sticks and started winning some battles, I thought we got a lot better.
“It was one of those games they were way heavier on their stick, skated and won more races early and we watched them. Once we got competing things got better for us.…
The players gave Howard the credit for letting the Wings hang round while they got into the game.
“He’s huge for us,… left-winger Tomas Tatar said. “He’s big as a house in the net and he doesn’t let many rebounds off him.
“We can thank him for these two points as well.…
Shoot To Thrill Tatar and Gustav Nyquist scored in the shootout for the Wings, who are now 3-8 in the NHL’s game-deciding penalty-shot competition this season.
“The shootout is like roulette,… Tatar said. “You never know.
“We don’t have really good stats this year but we are glad we beat this team in the shootout. There are really successful and it’s a big win for us.…
Tatar admitted he was baffled by the club’s inability to light red lamps in the shootout.
“I don’t get it either, to be honest,… Tatar said. “I’m surprised by it with the skill potential that we have. It’s kind of weird.
“It seems like we can do lots of things on the ice when we play five on five, but all of a sudden shootouts come and we have a tough time to score goals.…
Old Rivals A battle that’s been contested fiercely since both teams joined the NHL in 1926, even though the Wings and Blackhawks are in different conferences now and see each other only twice a season, it hasn’t dampened the spirit of the tilts between the two teams.
“We’ve played many games in past and it’s always a tough game,… Datsyuk said. “They are a good team and fun to play against.…
Tatar felt the energy in the United Center only added to the atmosphere of the night.
“We always like to play against Chicago,… Tatar said. “It’s fun. They have a great hockey team.
“These games are something special with the fans and everything, especially in this building. They are loud and you are picking up energy from it.…
Pulkkinen Returns Recalled from Grand Rapids, AHL goal and point-scoring leader Teemu Pulkkinen skated among Detroit’s top-six forwards on a line with Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader.
“I think he found a way to get – I don’t know if he hit the net ever but I think he got six shots, or shot the puck six times, so I like that,… Babcock said. “I like people who shoot the puck.
“He’s heavy on his stick. He wins some battles. He wins some loose puck battles. We’ll just see – the day’s not a test – we’ll see what happens.…
Actually, Pulkkinen fired seven shots goalward on the night, four of which were on target.
“I was feeling good,… Pulkkinen said. “It was a hard game. Chicago is a great defensive team. They played defense so we didn’t get that much scoring chances.
“I tried to put the puck on the net. That’s my game.…
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